Crazy Hedgy, looks like cross between Super Monkey Ball 2 and the original Crash Bandicoot. It’s a 3D “run and jump” platform game, or more appropriately, a “roll and bonk” that snuck onto the App Store right before the final rush to lock-down. It's far from derivative - in fact, it may be the best platformer of 2011.

Cybertime did an incredible job with the graphics. The animations are clever and engaging, and the in-game backgrounds are vibrant. The hero, a spiky hedgehog with some serious punching power and his mushroom enemies are not just brilliantly rendered they are downright funny. This game oozes polish.

The game is linear, but allows for roaming in each environment to discover hidden gems, coins, goodies hidden in crates and whatnot, and to attack enemies from odd angles. At every juncture the viewpoint is just right.

The refinement is best evidenced by the controls. I am not a fan of tilt controls, least of all on iPad, but these are by far the best I’ve seen. The game calibrates before each level and the device is held at a comfortable viewing angle. Since the goal is not just to run endlessly, but to punch, shoot, and blast, and also collect apples for health, gems and coins while quick-dodging obstacles there are two on-screen tap zones as well. Tapping on the right makes Hegdy jump or double-jump, while a tap - or several – on the left launches furious fists.

The fun and forethought are apparent on every level. Players can turn one baddie against another, knock them into traps, and seriously? A bubble gum gun? Awesome!

The game has 35 levels in Story Mode, broken into three worlds. Earn enough coins and Arena Mode opens. The game currency is used to purchase imaginative upgrades – refreshingly, they must be earned the hard way, there are no in-app purchases. Package that with retina graphics, accurate physics, Game Center integration and iCloud support and it’s a winner.

The highest praise I can give Crazy Hedgy is that whenever I was nearing the point of satiety, the game threw something unexpected at me, keeping the experience fresh. The developers boast 10 hours of gameplay; at my current pace it will provide a lot more entertainment that that.

Crazy Hedgy is console quality, but uses iOS features to maximum advantage making for a distinct gaming experience that simultaneously hearkens back to earlier App Store times when tilt-control games were the rage, while giving gamers a exciting peek at what will (hopefully) come in 2012. Don’t miss this spiky gem. If putting that shiny new iPad or iPhone to great gaming use is the journey, Crazy Hedgy is the destination.

iPhone Screenshots

(click to enlarge)

iPad Screenshots

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